Beneath Between Beyond
by AvocadoLove
Summary: Sequel to Duality. Azula makes a surprise attack, and Aang is hurt. With the Gaang trapped, Zuko seeks help from the other side of the Vanishing Cabinet. But dealing with Draco Malfoy may be like jumping from the pan and into the fire. HP/Avatar:TLA Xover
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: This story is incomplete as is and will no longer be updated. **

OOOOOOOOO

"How did they find us?"

Somehow, Zuko was able to hear Katara's words over the din of screamed orders, smashing rocks, and fire blasts that echoed around the Western Air Temple. Somehow, he was also able to hear the bitter suspicion in her voice, and feel the heated prickle of her angry gaze on his back.

His bad eye caught a flash of orange, just to the side of his vision. Instinctively, he ducked, and felt the flame whoosh harmlessly by overhead. He sent a quick volley of fire blasts back, causing the advancing Fire Nation soldiers to scramble for their own cover.

"I don't know!" Zuko snapped, risking a glance over his shoulder in time to see Katara snap her water-whip at two other soldiers. The bended water struck the men's legs with a sickening crunch. They fell over, crying out in pain, kneecaps dislocated.

Another volley of fire blasts caused Zuko and Katara ducked behind the stone fountain, once again using it for cover. Zuko looked around, hoping to find something to improvise as a weapon. No suck luck. He and Katara and been on breakfast duty when they had been ambushed. Pots and pans would do no good against swords and bending.

They were outnumbered… but perhaps not outmatched. Zuko smiled grimly. Katara was a Master waterbender, and he — well he wasn't so bad himself. If they worked together, they might be able to hold them off…

Katara's brow was furrowed, and she glanced around, taking stock of the situation. Predictably her thoughts weren't focused on her own personal well being, but the safety of her friends. "I hope that the others are okay."

"The Avatar is with them. They'll be fine." He and Katara were the early risers in the group. Sokka, Toph, Aang and the others were in their rooms in the more sheltered area of the Air Temple, probably asleep – at least until a small army of Fire Nation soldiers decided to make their welcome.

Katara shot him a look. "His name is Aang, not 'the Avatar', and you —"

Later on, Zuko couldn't exactly pinpoint what exactly alerted him to the danger, or even what really made react the way he did. After all, Katara had been nothing but hostile since he had come to the Western Air Temple and joined the Avatar to teach him firebending. But something, some unconscious sense triggered in his mind, and he acted without thinking. He grabbed the waterbender, shoving her to the ground – just in time to avoid a trio of daggers aimed right for her heart.

He wasn't quick enough. Searing pain arced from his side. Zuko gasped and rolled, fingers finding the hilt of the sharp knife embedded an inch into his flesh, right below his ribcage.

Katara was screaming something at him — Zuko didn't quite catch the words, but her strong hands wrapped around his forearm, pulling him up, and tugged him to the fair corner of the inverted building.

Pain lanced through his body with every step until he thought to pull the dagger free. It came out with a sickening lurch and burning agony, but Zuko was able to find his stride again, and run with Katara.

He caught only a glimpse of dark black eyes set above an impassive pale face. She stood there, calm and melancholy among a scene of chaos. Mai could have thrown more, could have taken both him and Katara out, but she remained still. Zuko felt his heart both sink and lift at the same time, but firmly shoved it out of his mind. Later. Escape now, think about his ex-girlfriend later.

They ducked behind a stone column to avoid another fireblast. Zuko turned, ready to send an answering spiral of flame, when he felt Katara's grip tighten on his arm. "It's Appa!" she yelled, pointing to the nearby edge. Zuko didn't have time to reply before he was jerked into a run. A wall of white seemed to erupt before them, and, ignoring the pain in his side, he leapt for the safety of the bison's saddle.

Sokka was the only one aboard, at Appa's head. He scarcely waited until Katara and Zuko had climbed on before snapping the reigns with a tense, "Yip yip!"

The bison roared and swung around, smashing his thick tail against the stone and sending the advancing soldiers flying backwards, crashing into one another.

"Sokka, where's everyone else?" Katara demanded.

"We all got ambushed, Aang tried to hold them off, but he got hurt. It's bad, Katara." As he spoke, Sokka angled the flying bison in to a low dive, aiming for the upside-down temple close to the one they had just escaped from. A whole platoon of red robed fighters were sending cascades of fire blasts at the walls, trying to blast their way in.

Zuko could clearly hear his sister's voice over the din, snapping out orders.

"You there! Go get the Dai Li. If we can't blast them out we will dig them out!" Azula's order was cut short by Appa's powerful roar. The bison slapped his wide tail along the unseen air currents and propelled forward, straight on a collision course with the invading army.

Katara screamed, and Zuko had to admit he did too. Sokka was using Appa and them as a battering ram!

Several of the soldiers shouted warnings, and a couple of quick blasts were sent their way, but there was nothing that could stop the bulk of a ten-ton bison. Zuko wanted to shut his eyes, but found he couldn't… he just hoped that the collision wouldn't be painful…

Then, at the last second, when Appa's nose was nearly at the far wall of the temple, the stone dropped right before them. Appa executed a maneuver that should have been impossible for an animal his size, turning and landing with a mighty groan into the suddenly exposed cavern. As soon as they were in, the wall slammed back upwards, sealing them inside.

"Took you long enough!" Toph snapped, from her position at the wall. She and Haru had their hands out, feet rooted and were focusing on throwing up more and more layers of stone protection between themselves and the army outside.

Teo and the Duke were knelt on the opposite side of the small cavern, a small crumpled form lying between them.

"Aang!" In her haste to get down and attend to her friend, Katara shouldered Zuko out of the way. Another flare of pain hit him, and he gasped, clutching at his side. It felt wet with blood.

There was no time for his wounds. Zuko knew Aang was the most important. They all did.

So he watched anxiously from his perch as Katara summoned her water over her hands and bent down to attend to the fallen monk. Only when the silence went on, and he saw her bite her lip anxiously did Zuko call out, "How is he?"

Katara didn't answer, so focused on her healing. A small shiver ran up Zuko's spine that had nothing to do with his blood loss. Wincing, he forced himself to dismount the bison and walk over to Sokka.

The other boy was looking around the room, brow furrowed in thought. Although Zuko hadn't been in the group for very long, he had quickly come to learn that the rest usually looked to Sokka for ideas — and for good reason.

"Toph and Haru won't be able to hold off the Dai Li once Azula get's them here." Zuko said, lowly, casting a glance at Katara. She was directing Teo and the Duke to grab some blankets from Appa, keeping the younger kids busy.

Sokka followed his glance and then shook his head, probably dispelling some inner thought. "We can't move Aang while he's hurt. Katara is going to need time to heal him."

"So we need to buy ourselves some time. Any ideas?"

Again Sokka shook his head, but his blue eyes darted around the room, perhaps looking for inspiration from the old bits and bobs stashed around. It looked as if this cavern was used primarily for storage. Old artifacts and bits of broken down furniture littered the area, abandoned by their long dead owners. Zuko looked as well, hoping for a weapon… or something. It was more to hope for, really. The Air Nomads were pacifists by nature, and old chairs and pai shao tables were nothing—

Then he saw it.

"Hey Sparky, you don't look so good." Toph was facing away from Zuko, of course, and not even "looking" his direction.

He ignored her in favor of going over and placing his hands on the all too familiar object. The wood was different than the one in his old playroom, a sort of mellow amber from some unknown tree. But the intricate carvings that swished across the door, the ornate handle… it was all the same.

The Air Nomads had a Vanishing Cabinet.

"Sokka!" Zuko could feel his heart pounding in his chest. It wasn't a way out – he knew that Aang would never leave without the bison, but maybe he could find something or someone who could help. But it wouldn't do any good to be trapped in the same room as before. He would have to go in first, to make sure the coast was clear.

Sokka had come at his call and was studying the cabinet with a mix of confusion and frustration. "Zuko, this isn't the time for appreciating antiques."

Zuko turned and grabbed the warrior's shoulders. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but I don't have the time to explain. I'm going to go into the cabinet, but I'll return as soon as I can—"

Sokka jerked back in surprise and did the thing that he was nearly infamous for. He started talking before his brain had quite caught up with his mouth. "What? Why would you—WHAT?"

"Listen to me! I need you to count to thirty and then open up the door." Zuko tightened his grip on Sokka's shoulders, trying to drive that point in. "If you don't, I won't be able to come back."

"What?"

Zuko nearly smiled, but as he said before, he didn't have time to explain. Releasing his grip, he took one more look around the room to sear it in his mind; Toph and Haru standing guard like trained earthbenders, Katara pouring all of her energy and concentration on healing Aang, Sokka's confused and frustrated look… but he wasn't trying to stop him.

He opened the cabinet door and crawled inside, shutting it behind him.

There was a beat as everyone glanced at one another. Even Katara pulled her head up from her intense focus on Aang. "Did he do what I think he just did?"

Zuko had told Sokka to wait to count to thirty, but he had only gotten to ten in his head before he sighed. "Okay, Zuko, time to stop the crazy and come out…" Sokka rapped his knuckles sharply on the top of the wooden cabinet, but received no answer.

With a roll of his eyes, he jerked open the door. His jaw dropped.

"He's gone!"

OOOOOOOOO


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors notes: Thank you so much everyone who reviewed my last chapter! The first part of this chapter sets up with Draco, but then we'll get to Zuko and their reunion right after. :) **

**OOOOOOOOO**

"Mother, this is ridiculous. I am seventeen years old." Draco straightened his back and squared his shoulders, trying to put on the same air of adult confidence he'd seen his father do a hundred times before. Only it was hard to look at all suave and in control with his mother straightening his tie and brushing imaginary pieces of lint off of his robes.

Narcissa sniffed, and gave one final pull to Draco's tie, making sure it was not even a millimeter out of place. "I don't know how Professor Snape let's you dress in Hogwarts, but in our house you need to look presentable."

Left unsaid between them was for _whom_ the Malfoys needed to present themselves too. Virtual prisoners in their own homes, neither mother nor son dared to step out of line and give the Dark Lord something to comment about.

Draco reached out, grabbing his mother's hand in his own and finding her fingers cold. "Mother, _he_ is out of the country for now, and I doubt aunt Bellatrix will say anything to him if my tie is out of place." His eyes met hers, silver against hardened grey, and managed a weak smile for her benefit. "She has other things on her mind, you know."

Such as her endless, complete madness. That too, was left unsaid.

Narcissa could not quite smile back at her son, but the corner of one lip did twitch slightly and her fingers gripped his.

The Malfoys were not a family that liked to show their affection, even in private. But their love was there — quiet and strong, and at that moment, for the thousandth time since last summer, Draco wished that somehow things could have turned out differently.

What of the promises of honor upon completing his insane mission to kill Dumbledore? What of the prestige? The Malfoys were reduced to skulking around in their own home, to be treated almost as servants.

_I wish I never did it._

The words, set in a scratchy tone of voice from the boy with the scar around his eye often came back to haunt Draco nowadays. Before, he had brushed it off as a disenchanted kid who couldn't deal with pressures and sacrifices. Now, he found himself in that same position and bitterly wishing he had thought on it more. He had even had the Vanishing Cabinet moved to his room, half in tribute over his extraordinary accomplishment and half as a reminder.

_I wish I never did it._

Narcissa was looking up at him, an unreadable expression on her face, but before she could comment the wards guarding the Manor chimed. Someone was at the door.

Mother and son exchanged a look, before Narcissa pursed her lips, shaking her head, and answered the unsaid question. "No, the Dark Lord doesn't need to knock to get in. Go join your father. He's probably brooding by the fire again. I'll see to the door."

**OOOOOOOOO**

Crawling onto and out of a tiny cabinet aggravated Zuko's wound painfully. He grit his teeth, but couldn't resist a pained grunt as he righted himself again. He froze, and glanced about the room, aware for the first time that it was not at all like the one found himself in before.

Gone was the simple stone room with the blasted walls. Now he was standing in an ornate bedroom, easily on par with what he had at his palace. Only instead of the familiar deep reds of the Fire Nation, the curtains and the four-poster bed was decorated in dark green and silver. While it was early morning where he had come from, the windows outside only showed black sky.

But again, it was quiet. No crunches of earthbending or sounds of fire blasts. Maybe as a last resort he could bring everyone here.

"Hello?" Zuko called out, softly. Receiving no response he quickly untied, and then retied the sash that held his tunic together, making sure it fit snugly — almost painfully — over the knife wound in his side. Hopefully the pressure would stanch the bloodflow. He started moving about, gingerly at first and then with more confidence as the burning pain receded into an aching throb.

Where was he? Some kind of palace? Zuko about the room for clues, but finding none, went to the door. It opened easily under his finger-tips, the hinges apparently well oiled. The hallway beyond was dimmed with torch lights illuminated only every twenty feet or so. He padded along softly, calling from his experience as the Blue Spirit to keep to the shadows.

The cold silence didn't last long. Within moments, Zuko heard voices down the hall; the muffled rise and fall of anger followed by a feminine shriek.

He ducked instinctively as a low blast cut through the din, but then got ahold of himself and walked forward quickly. Within a few moments he was ducking down along the shadows of a doorway, surveying a scene in some kind of drawing room.

A crowd of people, all dressed in long robes, stood facing one another, and Zuko felt a jolt of realization as he recognized one in particular. Draco…

He was the youngest out of a group of adults; two sharing the same facial features and light hair to such a degree that they must be his parents. One darker woman with a crazed expression on her face held the room's attention. She was screaming something and pointing to some kind of strange creature and three bound teenagers about Zuko's age, and then to a few more men who lay unconscious on the floor.

In one hand the dark woman held a wand, very much like the one that Zuko had seen Draco carry. In her other was an ornate long sword, its hilt aflame with rubies. As she turned, pointing the sword towards a hideous grayed man who knelt on the floor, the light caught her hollowed features: her eyes were crazed.

"Where did you find this sword? Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!" she shrieked.

"It was in their tent," the man rasped, "Release me, I say!"

The answer seemed to be enough for the woman. She waved her wand, and the man nearly sprang to his feet. The woman then pointed to the unconscious forms on the floor. "Draco, move this scum outside. If you haven't got the guts to finish them, then leave them in the courtyard for me."

"Don't you dare speak to Draco like—" said the woman who was probably Draco's mother.

"Be quiet! The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, Cissy! We have a very serious problem!"

As the women sniped back and forth, Draco stepped forward and waved his wand, his face expressionless. The three bodies rose from the ground and hovered in mid-air, limp as if completely boneless. With another flick of his wand, Draco walked the bodies out a side door.

Zuko's gaze darted back and forth between the still arguing women and the retreating figure of Draco. The main source of light in the room appeared to be the great chandelier overhead, throwing the edges into dark shadow. It was those shadows he used, and the distraction of the bickering adults, to follow Draco outside, undetected.

The short hallway led to an arched courtyard outside. Zuko hesitated, very aware that he had somehow stumbled into a high pressure situation, and that Draco would be on edge and not very pleased at being surprised. But at the same time he could feel a silent clock ticking in his head. How long would Toph and Haru be able to keep Azula and the rest of the army out? Where they fighting for their lives right now?

"Draco," he whispered, hoarsely.

The other boy reacted just about as badly as he suspected. He tensed up and swung around. The men he had been hovering fell to the ground with low, wet thuds.

Draco had grown an inch or two since Zuko had seen him last, but his face had never looked so strained, so waxen. "Who's there?!" The tip of his wand lit and he raised it over his head, throwing light out over the courtyard. "Show yourself!"

"It's me," he stepped carefully into the light, palms up to show he was unarmed, "Zuko."

Draco stared at him, struck dumb for ten full heartbeats. Then his expression changed into a tight, completely humorless smile. "Zuko," he repeated, "Of course. Why not? It seems as if all of my former friends and enemies have decided to show up tonight—"

"Draco," Zuko took another step forward, palms still out in a silent plead. "I need your help. My… friends and I are under attack. We're trapped, and this is the only place I could come…" He hated debasing himself like this, nearly begging for help. It took only the thought of the rest of the gang, probably fighting for their lives right now to keep away the shame.

Unfortunately, Draco seemed less than impressed. "Are you mad? Do you see what is going on in there?" He jabbed a finger towards the door. "They've got Potter, and soon enough the Dark Lord _himself_ will be showing up on our doorstep." Draco paused then, giving a breathless little laugh, "Then, it'll be all over, won't it? And the Dark Lord will finally win."

Zuko closed his eyes and shook his head. He knew what he had to do, but it wasn't going to be easy. He had known on some level that it would probably come to this if he was to seek any aid. "Draco…" he swallowed hard. "Please… I'll be in your debt."

Those words were not spoken lightly, and Draco's grey eyes focused on him fully for the first time with undivided attention. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

Draco stared at him for another few moments, his expression closed but clearly calculating. Finally, he gave a curt nod with his chin and stuck out his hand. Zuko wasn't sure what he wanted, but did the same and found his hand being shook once. Strange ritual.

"So it's a deal then. I scratch your back and you scratch mine, eh?" Draco's smile could only be considered oily, and he nodded towards the door. "Well, now's the perfect time to start working off your debt. You probably saw that they've captured the Chosen One and his little friends?"

"Chosen One?"

"Harry Potter. Don't you know anything? They say it's his _destiny_ to fight the Dark Lord." He gave another laugh, almost as if he found this entire thing to be funny. But there was an undertone in his voice that gave Zuko the impression that Draco found it anything but humorous. "I didn't tell my father, but he's going to recall the Dark Lord back here all the same, and the more he's kept away from my family, the better."

Zuko hesitated, struck by a strange sense of daja-vue. "Look, I'll help you afterwards. Right now my friends—"

"No!" snapped Draco, "You're doing this now, or the deal's off!"

Both teens glared at each other, but Zuko felt the weight of time on his shoulders, and dropped his gaze first. Fine then. The sooner he did this, the sooner he could get back, hopefully with extra fire power. "Okay," he growled, fists curling. "But we need to make this quick. What do you want me to do?"

Draco flashed him a quick grin, all friendly and reasonable now that he was getting his way. "They'll put Potter and his friends in the downstairs cellar with the other prisoners. I need them to get away, but it needs to look like it wasn't in anyway due to my family's incompetence. Got it?"

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

Another quick smile. "I don't know. That's your job, isn't it?" Draco pulled out his wand. "I can cast a disillusionment charm, but it probably won't last long. You'll have to get down there quick."

Zuko's fisted hands heated up. He felt a strange sense of determination at Draco's words, not so much unlike when he was out hunting the Avatar. Only this was to help Aang. Maybe he just worked best with a clear set goal in his mind.

Something caught his eye and he glanced over. There, sitting above the doorway in an ornamental piece, almost like a sign from Agni himself, were two crossed swords. Zuko walked and unhooked them. They were nothing like his twin Dao. Whereas his favorite weapons were broad with wickedly curved edges, these were long, thin, and whippy with a sharp edged point like a stabbing needle. But they were light, and with his injury he would need all the help he could get. "Let's do it."

**OOOOOOOOOOO**

Thanks again for reading! Let me take a moment and address the cool people who reviewed last chapter.

TheDragonclawMistress: OMG, yeah your comment spawned a lot of plotbunnies on possible Momo/Draco crazyiness. I think almost being eaten by Sokka in the first season is going to be the least of our favorite lemur's concerns. I'm so dedicating anything like that to you for the idea.

angelthewriter: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. I plan on updating very regularly, every few days or so and I'll never update one chapter without finishing the next chapter first, so there's always something in the pipeline.

Minathia: Yup, I decided to try my hand at a series and see where this takes me. I'm really glad you liked it so far!

burnin4Christ: Glad you liked it!

KASLiNN: Awwww! Well I'll do my very best to stay as in character as possible. It's hard because Draco really wants to be good, but canon Draco… isn't. I'll have fun with it!

Tege: Thanks, tege! I got some pretty fun stuff in store. I hope you guys like it.

Middykun: Lol! Yeah, I know. I wanted to do more reactions from the Gaang on Zuko's David Copperfield stunt, but I'll have to save that for some other time.

**Thanks again, everyone!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** Thank you all for the really groovy reviews! As always, my replies are at the end of this chapter.

I had a hard time with this chapter for several reasons. One is that I had to insert Zuko in a part that went at break-neck speed in Deathly Hollows. I think I have memorized chapter 23 by now. JKR is great at action, and it was almost impossible inserting another character in it. As a result of inserting Zuko, I had to cut Dobby. I didn't want to do it, but as you will see... well, it wouldn't have worked with him. I also had to use parts of the dialog from the book (because I could only assume that the characters would more or less say the same things when the same result happens), although I tried to input as much as I could to keep it fresh and up to date. I hope it works. Let me know one way or another!

**OOOOOOOO**

They had to find a way out… there had to be some sort of way out of this cellar.

They had to find a way out… there had to be some sort of way out of this cellar! Harry looked around franticly for something, anything, but his scar was flaring in pain, and Hermione's screams… oh Merlin, he couldn't shut out those screams. This was his worst nightmare. This was why he had wanted to go alone…

All those locked in the cellar clearly heard Lucius's chilling orders drifting down from the ceiling above. "Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!"

Harry dashed across the cellar to where Griphook was huddled on the floor. If Bellatrix and Lucius knew of the sword then all hope was lost. "Griphook," he whispered into the goblin's pointed ear, "you must tell them that sword's a fake, the mustn't know it's the real one, Griphook, please—"

But he was out of time. He could hear someone scuttling down the cellar steps; the next moment, Draco's voice spoke from behind the door. "Stand back. Line up against the back wall. Don't try anything, or I'll kill you!"

They did as they were bidden; as the lock turn

They had to find a way out… there had to be some sort of way out of this cellar! Harry looked around franticly for something, anything, but his scar was flaring in pain, and Hermione's screams… oh merlin, he couldn't shut out those screams. This was his worst nightmare. This was why he had wanted to go alone…

All those locked in the cellar clearly heard Lucius's chilling orders drifting down from the ceiling above. "Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!"

Harry dashed across the cellar to where Griphook was huddled on the floor. If Bellatrix and Lucius knew of the sword then all hope was lost. "Griphook," he whispered into the goblin's pointed ear, "you must tell them that sword's a fake, the mustn't know it's the real one, Griphook, please—"

But he was out of time. He could hear someone scuttling down the cellar steps; the next moment, Draco's voice spoke from behind the door. "Stand back. Line up against the back wall. Don't try anything, or I'll kill you!"

They did as they were bidden; as the lock turned, Ron clicked the Deluminator and the lights whisked back into his pocket, restoring the cellar's darkness. The door flew open; Malfoy marched inside, wand held out in front of him, his lips set and determined. Just before seizing Griphook's arm, his eyes met Harry's for a moment. There was something on his face… a little smirk that was all Malfoy, but at the same time, somehow not fitting for this time and place. What had happened to the pale frightened boy who refused to name him just a few minutes ago?

Then the moment passed, just as quickly as it came. Malfoy backed out again, dragging Griphook with him.

The door slammed shut.

Ron clicked the Deluminator. The three balls of light flew back into the air from his pocket… and they were no longer alone.

Another boy stood there by the door; a boy very close to Harry's age own and height. The left eye and upper side of his face was scared and puckered by a deep red scar. And yet somehow that wasn't even the strangest thing about him for he faced them not with a wand, but with what looked like two fencing swords gripped in each hand.

"Oh, hello," chirped Luna, from Harry's side. "You're new, aren't you?"

The boy glanced at her with eyes that were a strange tawny amber color and when he spoke it was with a strange accent, almost American. "I'm looking for Harry Potter."

Before Harry could answer, Ron stepped forward, putting himself between him and the stranger. "Yeah? What do you want with him?"

"My name is Zuko." The boy he paused and listened. They could all hear Draco's footsteps recross the ceiling overhead. "I'm here to get you out of this place. How many of you can do your magicking?"

The phrase fell oddly from Zuko's lips, as if he wasn't really familiar with the term. "You're a Muggle?" Harry guessed.

Whatever Zuko's response had been was cut off by a scream from Hermione above. Bellatrix was at her again. Ron turned his head, shooting him an agonized look and Harry quickly got to the point. He didn't know what a Muggle was doing anywhere close to Malfoy manor, or indeed how he got in here – but they could use all the help they could get at this point and he wasn't about to be picky. "We can all do magic, but we need our wands."

Zuko's lips set in a grim line. "Then you'll have to win them back. We might have a chance, if we take them by surprise."

Not much of a chance, but it wasn't like any of them had any other choice. "Right." Harry nodded, and turned towards the others in the room, giving them the once-over. Luna seemed to be a waif of her former self, probably the result of months worth of scant meals. Mr. Ollivander was huddled in a corner, semi-conscious. That left him, Ron and Dean, but there was no way Luna could manage the old wand maker by herself, and in a fight he wanted his best mate at his side. "Dean, Luna, see if you can get Mr. Ollivander on his feet. Me, Ron, and Zuko will scout up ahead. Be ready to move at any time. We'll only get one shot at this."

"If we get the chance to Disapparate, head to my brother Bill's." Ron said, and Harry shot him a grateful look. Even sick with worry for Hermione, Ron was thinking ahead like a master chess player. "Shell Cottage, on the outskirts of Tinsworth."

Harry glanced towards the scarred boy. His motives were secret, but he trusted the air of confidence about him. He had the feeling the stranger knew what he was doing — he'd have too to survive being a Muggle anywhere near this place. "How do you plan to get us out of the room?"

Zuko smirked. "The door, of course." Setting one of the swords down, made a fainting punch towards the door. Harry jerked back, shocked as a jet of orange flame shot out, engulfing the wooden door.

"Blimey." Ron's voice was low so that only Harry could hear. "At least we know how he got that scar."

The wooden door cracked ominously, but Zuko's conjured fire was hot and clean and there was relatively little smoke. The problem came when the hinges became too heated to support the wood anymore. With a groan of protest, the hinges creaked and then came loose from the frame completely, causing the entire door to fall away with a loud clatter. Zuko waved his hand, recalling the fire, but the damage had already been done.

"What was that?" shouted Lucius Malfoy, from above. "What was that noise in the cellar?"

"Great," moaned Ron.

Zuko at least had the decency to look abashed. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Uh, I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Draco— no, call Wormtail!" Lucius snapped, as he apparently didn't get the answer he was looking for. "Make him go and check!"

Harry took a quick breath and made a decision. "We're going to have to try to tackle him before he can raise the alarm," he whispered to Ron and Zuko, "turn the lights off."

Ron clicked the Deluminator, and they were once more plunged into darkness. The only light came up from far ahead at the top of the stairs, leaking in from the drawing room door. Quickly, but careful not to make a sound, the three boys picked their way across the remains of the door and stood on the shadowed side of the short hallway which led from the stairway to the cellar.

They didn't have to wait for long. The crack of light from above turned into a crescent as the door was opened. Wormtail stepped through, shutting the door behind him and turning light into darkness once more. His silver hand which clutched his wand glowed dully in the dark.

Harry held his breath as Wormtail shuffled past him. The further in they could trap him, the less chance of anyone hearing outside….

"Stand back!" Wormtail called, once he reached the place where the door should have been. Due to a stroke of luck, he had not yet lit his wand, and in the low light it was hard to see the burned remains. "Stand away from the door. I am coming in."

Now was the time. Harry threw himself towards Wormtail, slapping a hand over his mouth to silence him from shouting out. Someone — probably Ron — grabbed his wand arm and forced it upwards. Silently, they struggled. Where was Zuko? He and Ron could only hold the man, not completely subdue him. Harry felt Wormtail's silver fingers grip at his throat….

"What is it, Wormtail?" called Lucius Malfoy.

At that very moment Harry was shouldered aside as Zuko pushed in between them. He brought down the butt of one sword upon Wormtail's head. Immediately the silver fingers on Harry's throat relaxed as Wormtail slid down against the wall, unconscious.

"Nothing!" Ron called back, in Wormtail's wheezy voice. "All fine!"

"Thanks," whispered Harry. He rubbed at his throat.

Zuko hesitated a beat. "They'll come looking for him, soon."

He turned, but Harry caught his arm, and found it unnaturally warm to the touch. "Wait." They didn't have much time, but before he went into battle and he needed some answers. "What are you? Why are you helping us?"

In answer, Zuko lifted his other palm and a flicker of flame sprung to life, lighting the small space around them. "I'm a firebender. I'm here because I was asked." He said, and the small fire in his hand flickered and illuminated for a brief moment Zuko's right side, bloodied. Now Harry knew why the other boy had been slow. But just as he was about to comment, Zuko turned away and closed his hand to extinguish the fire.

"We don't have time for this, Harry! Hermione is—" Ron's voice came out louder than he probably intended. His words echoed uncomfortably about the hallway, and they all had a very few bad moments listening to see if anyone heard.

All was quiet from above, and Zuko shot a quick glare at Ron before dipping his chin in a quick nod. "He's right. We need to move."

Almost as if to put another point on it, Hermione gave a horrible scream, clearly heard now that they were in the hallway. Harry knew he didn't have time to hesitate anymore. Not if he wanted to save Hermione. "Ron, you've got Wormtail's wand? Good."

The Death Eaters had been talking, unaware of the struggle right below their feet. It seemed as if either Griphook or Hermione finally satisfied the question of the sword's authenticity. Bellatrix's harsh voice broke above the rest, "And now, we call the Dark Lord!"

Harry felt Ron's hand grip his shoulder a second before his scar flared in agony. One part of him was Voldermort, enraged at the sudden interruption of the old worn wizard. _They had better have Potter this time…_

… and another, a very distant part of Harry was vaguely aware of being pushed along by Ron's strong grip. His best mate was going ahead with the plan, making sure that Harry would be in a place to strike when he was released from Voldermort's mind…

_They would suffer his retribution if they had no reason for calling him back…_

Then Harry was Harry again, crouched right out of sight of the drawing room doorway. Ron was on his right and whispered a quick, "You alright, mate?"

Zuko was on his left, watching him warily through his burned eye.

"And I think," Bellatrix continued, with the flourish of a great hero on the edge of victory, "we can dispose of the Mudblood. Greyback, take her if you want her."

Instinctively, Harry reached out for Ron's jacket, knowing what he would do. But he was a touch too slow, still jumbled from the rapid exit of Voldermort's mind.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Ron burst in, Wormtail's wand pointed right at Bellatrix. "Expelliarmus!" Her wand flew into the air,

Harry had rushed into the room behind his friend and leapt up, catching the wand. He pointed it to Lucius. "Stupefy!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zuko limp into the room and sweep his fist forward, launching a ball of fire in Greyback's direction. The warewolf ducked, but not quick enough, letting out a pained howl as he was singed.

Draco stood back, white-eyed and seemingly frozen in terror.

A jet of light flew from Narcissa's wand, and Harry threw himself to the side, rolling behind a sofa to avoid it.

"STOP OR SHE DIES!"

Bellatrix was holding Hermione, pressing a short silver knife to her throat. "Drop your wands. Drop them, or we'll see exactly how filthy her blood is!"

Harry froze and shot a look at his accomplices. Ron was gazing at Hermione, almost rigidly clutching at Wormtail's wand. Zuko, meanwhile was staring very hard at Draco Malfoy, his fists clenching and unclenching. A bloom of blood, unnoticed before by Harry had spread along his right side and was creeping down his leg.

"Alright!" Harry shouted, and dropped Bellatrix's wand. Ron did the same, and Zuko lowered his fists.

"Good!" Bellatrix leered. "Draco, pick them up! The Dark Lord is coming, Harry Potter! Your death approaches!"

Draco stepped forward and bent down to collect the wands. Harry was so preoccupied with the agony of his burning scar that he nearly missed it. Quick as thought, Zuko unsheathed the two swords in his sash and grabbed Draco, turning him into a shield between Bellatrix and himself. The swords sang as they crossed together against the vee of Draco's neck.

Narcissa shrieked, and reached a hand out as if to snatch her son away, but she didn't dare. Not with the blades so close to his neck.

"Release the girl!" Zuko ordered.

Ron hurriedly bent to pick up his wand, and Harry hurriedly followed. There were three heartbeats of silence as each side glared at the other. Then Bellatrix threw back her head and laughed, a mad peel of a cackle that bounced off of all the walls.

"Foolish boy! The Dark Lord will be here in moments! Do really think he will care about that little failure you have there. Do you think I—"

She got no further than that. A burst of red light erupted from Narcissa's wand and hit Bellatrix right in the chest. She and the unconscious form of Hermionie crumpled to the ground.

"Stupefy!" Roared Harry, aiming for Greyback, who had been sulking in the corner.

Ron rushed forward, heedless of Narcissa, and pulled Hermionie out from under the stunned mad-woman.

"Ron, go and get the others!" Harry yelled. Voldermort was coming. He could feel him flying through the air; approaching the Manor. "I'll be right behind you!" Ron nodded, and, with Hermionie in his arms and with two fallen wands in his hands, he hurried back down the corridor to Dean and Luna. They were safe. Harry turned towards Zuko, "Can you Apparate?"

Zuko opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a soft voice.

"Please— my son." Harry had almost forgotten about Narcissa Malfoy. She stood across the room, wand held slackly by her side, her grey eyes wide and pleading. "Do what you must, but don't hurt my son. Please, I beg of you as a mother…"

Zuko stared at her for a moment, and then winced almost against some dark thought. He looked towards Harry and murmured in an urgent undertone, "Knock her out."

"What?!" barked Harry.

"NO!" yelled Malfoy. "Mother!"

"Harry, do it now!"

Narcissa started raising to raise her wand, but Harry was faster, and in a moment Narcissa's crumpled form lay next to her sister.

"NO!" Malfoy, who had up until now been more or less passive hostage, struggled. And to Harry's surprise, Zuko released him and stepped back. Malfoy rounded on him, nearly spitting in rage. "That wasn't part of the plan, you idiot! That's my mother!"

"You were the one who told me to improvise!" Zuko limped forward, poking two fingers in Malfoy's chest with the other. "I held up my side of the deal. Now it's your turn to hold up yours."

Harry's mind was whirling. Zuko was in league with Malfoy? But… it didn't make any sense. Malfoy was a Death Eater! Wasn't he? "But… but you helped Ron and the others escape…" Harry said, dumbly. It was as if someone told him that the Dursley's were good, model family members after all. It just didn't make sense.

Malfoy's head snapped around. "What are you still doing here? Get out of here, Potter!" He glanced back towards Zuko. "I never said I wouldn't keep my word, but if she's hurt in any way from this I will make sure that you will regret it."

Zuko's nodded his head solemnly at Malfoy's threat and then glanced back at Harry. "You need to leave, Harry."

Almost on cue, Harry's scar surged with pain… and he was Voldemort; looking up at the gates that protected Malfoy Manor…

Then he was back, coming into himself just in time to see Draco and Zuko disappear around a corner. Despite knowing that he had mere moments before Voldemort was upon him, Harry hesitated. Disapperate to Shell Cottage or find out what Draco was up to this time?

A memory of the high astronomy tower came into his mind, and Draco's white face as he pointed his wand at Dumbledore. Maybe if Harry had been more vigilant, he could have stopped him…

Harry sprinted after the two, retching with pain as his scar seemed to tear itself in two…

He rounded a corner to what looked like a bedroom, saw an ajar cabinet door. He had only a second to recognize it as the Vanishing Cabinet and hear Voldemort's high pitched scream of rage — he was in the drawing room at last — before he launched himself in the cabinet, head first.

The door to the Vanishing Cabinet closed with a soft click.

**OOOOOOOO**

Thanks for reading! I'm biting my nails on this chapter. Did I pull it off, or was there something else you wanted to see?

And once again, many glorious thanks to those who reviewed last chapter!

**moi:** Thank you! I hope the fic continues to catch your interest!

**Kaslinn:** Yeah, it will take some time but I think I might just have Draco mellow out a little. He's like Zuko in many ways, I think. :) Thanks!

**middykun:**I hope this answered your question! Are you physic, or am I just that obvious? hehe.

**Badculture:**This review put a huge smile on my face, and I'm really glad that you're liking it so far! I so want to create one of those lol!cats one of these days that says. "im going in2 cabinent. this r seriouz bidness Sokka!"

**Minathia:** I hope that you got those links I sent you! It should clear things up. :)

**Snape Goes Commando: **Dude, you ripped my favorite shirt! But your wish is my command! Your screenname is great, btw! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes: Well with the release of the HBP I figured I might as well upload another chapter. The story isn't dead, but finding the passion for continuing it was hard sometimes. And for that, I apologize. Thanks for all the reviews so far and little notes of encouragement. On a more amusing note, JakFrost created a Zuko!Lolcat that goes along with the story. (And many lolz were had.) The link is in my profile.**

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Harry hit the ground on the other side of the Vanishing Cabinet hard. Clutching his wand, he looked around wildly, but everything was blurred; his glasses were skewed from the impact. Shapes surrounded him, hazy and indistinct. But there was nothing wrong with his ears.

"Another one?!"

"What is going on, Zuko?!"

"Potter! Are you mad?"

"I don't know! He wasn't supposed to—"

"Where did they come from?"

A burst of agony from his scar, and then the voices were gone and he was back in the room in which he just came, back in Voldermort's mind.

_The Malfoys had failed him yet again. They let themselves be overpowered by the boy. He did not tolerate failure. Voldemort stepped forward into the room, sweeping it for any magical signature. How had Potter escaped? Then his eyes fell upon the cabinet…_

Harry wrenched back into his own mind. "Voldemort's coming! Destroy the cabinet!"

"No!" Malfoy cried.

Harry shoved his glasses back onto his face and reached for his wand, but he was too slow. A mousy dark haired girl stomped onto the ground, causing a shiver to run through the dusty stone floor. She lifted her hands and two wedges of rock erupted on either side of the cabinet. Then, before Harry could fully grasp what he was seeing, she brought he hands together and the rocks followed her lead, smashing the cabinet flat between them.

The agony from Harry's scar cut off. The tingles, the burning all instantly gone as if someone had flipped a light switch in his mind.

Draco Malfoy was lying next to him where he had fallen out of the cabinet. He made a strange counterpoint of familiarity in this room of strange objects and strange people. Their eyes met, and Malfoy's upper lip pulled into a snarl. He reached out and grabbed a fistful of Harry's shirt, yanking him to his level. "What do you think you're doing?! You can't be here, Potter! How are we supposed to get back now!?"

Harry couldn't match his sneer, so he narrowed his eyes, glaring at the boy who had caused so much pain and suffering. The coward's actions had led to Dumbledore's death. He had hemmed and hawed over Harry's own identification to Lucius and sent someone else in his place to start a rescue. "You still remember how to Apparate, I suspect?" he growled, and with a mighty shove he tore out of Malfoy's grasp.

"You fool! Do you know what you've done?!" Malfoy sat back, his gray eyes wildly darting all around the room, nearly panicked. "You've stranded us here!"

"There's still the cabinet in the Fire Palace," said Zuko. He held up his hand to the rock-girl as he spoke, letting her help him to his feet.

Harry reached up, adjusting his skewed glasses back onto his face and suddenly the dim lights and fuzzy outlines came back into sharp focus. Rock-girl was young, Harry realized as he took a proper look about the room. They all were. Now, without the half-lit darkness and tunnel vision of stress he realized that even Zuko looked like a poorly grown sixth year. Harry and Draco were clearly the oldest ones here.

Another one of the boys stepped forward. He was dressed in blue and just as wandless as the rest of the group, but Harry paid close attention to what looked like sharp bladed boomerang on his hip, and the long sword attached to his back. "Okay Zuko, who are these people? How did you just disappear like that?" the boy asked. Despite his age and the slight crack in his voice, his pose was all confidence. In a way, he reminded Harry of Oliver Wood — the boy who wasn't the oldest or the biggest player in their team, but the clear captain all the same. Everyone listened.

Zuko turned to look him, then at Malfoy before looking back again. "It's a long story."

"Oh, I'm all for long stories. I especially like the ones that start out with how you pull a disappearing act right after we learn the Dai Li are coming, and end up dragging two guys back with you — by the way," he turned towards Harry, narrowing eyes that were a shocking shade of blue. "You're on our side, right? I really don't need anymore bad news right now."

"Er—" said Harry, standing up and feeling awkward.

Draco also got to his feet and brushed off his dusty robe. He faced the boy in blue, lifting his chin imperiously. "That depends on what side you're on."

"Let's start with names." Rock-girl said, and pointed a finger that was directed neither at Malfoy or at Harry, but somewhere between them. Her eyes were a clouded green that were strangely unfocused. Blind, Harry realized. The girl was blind, but somehow she was able to sense that there were two of them. Was it magic? But then where was her wand?

Introductions seemed to at least give Zuko a starting point. "This is Draco Malfoy, and Harry Potter. They're here to help us." Zuko shot a glance at Malfoy, clearly speaking to him on this subject as well as the boy in blue. "They're… well, they can do some kind of bending I've never seen before with those." Now he pointed to the wands that Harry and Malfoy had clutched in their hands.

Rock-girl scoffed, "Oh yeah?" and crossed her arms, clearly waiting to be impressed. "What element?"

A sinking feeling which had nothing to do with being surrounded by strangers in a strange environment hit Harry's stomach. It only grew when he saw Draco raise his wand in demonstration. "Malfoy!" snapped Harry. "What are you doing?" He shot a guilty look at the three other kids before lowering his voice to a hiss. "These are Muggles."

Malfoy just rolled his eyes. "Out of my way, Potter." He flicked his wrist and sent a simple severing charm at an old table. It cracked neatly into two pieces and fell apart with a loud clatter that made Rock-girl start in surprise.

"How did he do that?! What happened?"

"He didn't do anything," Harry protested, albeit weakly. He could just see all of the statutes against Muggle secrecy falling around his ears. The only thing that truly kept him from stunning Malfoy and then _Obliviating_ the kids was the simple fact that this was Malfoy who was in the middle of exposing their secret. Malfoy, who hated Muggles, and who didn't do anything unless it was for his own personal gain.

Harry remembered the way Zuko had conjured his fire, wandless. Were these some sort of untrained wizards? People with magical talent that had learned to find their way around without wands?

There were too many questions to be sure of anything, so Harry was forced to stay back and watch the events play out in front of him. If he had learned anything in the last few months for his search for the Horcrux's, it was a certain level of patience. Or maybe Hermione's obsessive love of waiting and planning had finally rubbed off on him.

So he stood back and even allowed himself to enjoy how the boy in blue's mouth fell open in surprise before he collected himself with a not-so-manly cough, "Great," he said with a crack of his voice, "well if we need any wood cutting, you'll come in handy." He then turned to Zuko. "So you say they'll fight on our side? We can trust them?"

Harry didn't miss a slight hesitation before Zuko nodded. "Yes."

The boy nodded and clapped Zuko on the shoulder. "Okay. Toph, any evil Dai Li vibrations yet?"

Rock-girl shook her head, her arms still crossed. "No, but we don't have much time. I don't like how the soldiers out there are milling around. They're planning something, but I don't know what."

Draco raised two fingers as if querying a professor back in Hogwarts. Seeing the confused, yet clearly sarcastic look on his face, the boy in blue shrugged, "Zuko could you fill them in— Hey! You're bleeding!"

"I'm fine." Zuko said, even though the blood on his tunic had grown even darker than before. His skin seemed sallow.

"No you're not." The girl named Toph walked over to him, somehow maneuvering herself around Harry even though she could clearly not see him. "Your heartbeat is all slow and your breathing too fast and—"

"I'm fine!" Zuko insisted. "Katara has to heal Aang. He's… more important."

To Harry's surprise, there was no real answer from the other two other than the boy shifting around uncomfortably and Toph recrossing her arms. To his eyes it looked like the two of them agreed, but didn't really want to say it out loud.

"Fine," said the blue boy. "Give them the short story. I'll check on Aang and, er, I guess plan and stuff."

Toph simply shrugged her shoulders and walked after him.

Once they were safely out of ear-shot, Harry rounded on Malfoy and poked a finger at his chest. "What are you after?! Where are we? What have you got yourself into this time?"

Malfoy smiled coolly at him. "Trust me, Potter, you're way over your head on this one."

"I wouldn't trust you if—"

"Shut up!" Zuko snapped, shoving an arm between them. Harry and Malfoy had been nearly hissing in each other's faces. If Malfoy had been glaring coldly before, the look the scarred boy gave Harry was nothing but fiery annoyance. "We don't have time for this, and you," another finger poked right in front of Harry's face, "aren't even supposed to be here."

"Well I am!" Harry shot back, "So you're going to just have to deal with it. No one is answering any questions. What is going on?"

"Right now we have a whole army of Fire Nation soldiers outside waiting for the Dai Li to show up and break down that stone wall!"

"English, Zuko." Draco drawled, "We've been over this before."

Zuko grit his teeth. "Look, you've seen me firebend." He lit a small flame in his palm for emphasis before closing his fingers over it and extinguishing it again. "Toph and Haru can earthbend, Katara over there can waterbend, and Aang… well, he can do it all because he's the Avatar, but mostly he can airbend. Got it? Fire, water, earth, air."

It didn't make sense. "But how?!" Harry exploded. "You don't have wands and you're not saying spells—"

Zuko glared at him. Both eyes, even the puckered scarred one, narrowed into a slit. "I don't know why you don't understand. Four nations, four seasons, and four elements. That's just how it is."

Suddenly Toph's voice broke into their conversation, carrying across the room. "Sokka! They're coming!"

Zuko closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. They were shining with a sort of fierce determination. "All you need to know is that the people on the other side of that wall are going to try to kill us so that they can capture him." He pointed to the corner where a girl sat, working over something. Harry hadn't bothered to really notice her before, but now that he was looking he realized she was tending to a prone figure laying on the ground — another kid.

"If we get out of here," continued Zuko, "I promise that I will do everything in my power to get you home. The other Vanishing Cabinet is in the Fire Palace, and we might find more on the way. But we have to get out of this alive, first."

"Zuko!"

The scarred boy looked over to where the boy in blue was motioning. With a nod in his direction and once last glance at Harry and Malfoy, he limped on over.

There was a distinct silence between the two wizards.

"So," said Malfoy, after a long, long awkward moment, "I figure that you're sort of used to these impossible situations by now."

Harry couldn't help himself. "They've become more common in the last year." Then he sighed and took off his glasses to wipe a smudge off before putting them back on. The other kids were circled together in some sort of conference, looking far too serious for their ages. It made Harry feel suddenly old, and for the first time he thought he understood why Molly Weasley had fought so hard to keep them out of the Order of the Phoenix until they were of age. Kids shouldn't be going into war.

There was something else about that group… something else about the way the boy in blue talked with his hands, how they flowed along with his words and directions like a strong current… how Toph stood there, arms still crossed as steady and strong as a mountain… how Zuko grit his teeth, amber eyes glinting with barely controlled passion for the upcoming fight… Water… earth… fire…

It hit him, then. It really hit him.

Harry turned towards Malfoy. "We're not… we're not in Britain. We're not even on Earth, are we? Or at least… not on our Earth..."

Malfoy didn't have to say anything. The wide, but unsurprised look in his grey eyes told Harry everything he needed to know.

Harry felt as if his entire world had been upended. He reached out, grasping against a nearby stick of furniture for balance in case his legs gave out from under him. Strangely enough, his loudest thought was that it wasn't fair. Didn't he have enough to deal with Voldemort? Why did he have to get stuck in another seemingly hopeless battle?

Well one thing was for sure. If he was going to get out of this, he couldn't be looking behind his back. "Truce? Until we get out of this mess?"

Draco Malfoy stared at him for a long moment before he curtly nodded his own head. "Truce."

Neither shook on it.

******

**Next up**: Wizards and Gaang VS Dai Li and Azula


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